Australia Day - 26 Jan 2012

I just LOVE public holidays, even though with the kids at home, every day is a holiday.

There's something extra comforting and warm about hearing hubby's footsteps come down the hallway, then the sound of pots and pans banging about in the kitchen and a voice announcing, "Big breakfast - bacon and eggs!"

My kind of day. :)

This time last year, we spent Aus Day at Werribee South with a family who'd just migrated from SG. "Family" was just my friend and her son. This Aus Day, her whole family is here; hubby moved over permanently a couple of months ago. It must be a very special Aus Day for her.

We spent the afternoon at Tarneit Community Learning Centre. So much was going on:
Sausage sizzle (longest Q of all, because the food was free)
Workshops and demos for cooking, craft, cake decorating, karate
Jumping castle and face painting
Live music (including Beth's school, Universal School of Music)
Pony riding (which both girls had a go at and loved)

Just discovered the extent of Miss J's sun exposure when she had her shower. She now knows not to insist on wearing her "summer dress" for sizzling days like today.

Had interesting chat with one of the instructors at the karate school that runs classes at the CC. He observed that the training helps boys to be respectful around girls and helps girls to be more confident of themselves. Definitely a plus point for parents.

Side note: the instructor held out this red foam piece for kids to punch, like how they do in class. Miss B went forward and pummelled the piece with all her bodyweight, wearing an expression that could have meant, "I'm gonna KILL you!"

One dad standing nearby with his family remarked, "She's got anger issues, she does."

Can't say I disagree. I've always felt Miss B has a lot of pent-up rage, frustration, resentment and jealousy in her that needs a positive outlet of expression.

Perhaps it's time for a return to the dojo.

Welcome, Year of the Water Dragon

Love all the CNY Water Dragon greetings from friends back home and our angmoh friends here. There seems to be a greater consciousness of the occasion, gauging by the number of WD jokes from the latter.

My heart goes out to the flood affected families in QLD. This time last year, they went through the same situation.

Have also noticed more people sending out God's blessings along with the usual 新年快乐，万事如意。Nice.

Like this one from my sis-in-law (how I love that we have that relationship!)...
龙年蒙恩，上帝祝福你们

The Coach Gets Coached

Have finally said yes to engaging a coach to help me accelerate my business goals.

And God sent the perfect fit my way: a Christian lady who was mentor coach on my triad, who is a mother of two young children, knows all about work-life balance, and who has a thriving coaching practice that is designed to be achievable and profitable.

We are working together once a month on my business goals.

I have always shied away from being accountable to another person, because that would mean I have no excuse not to succeed. So I guess this is a sign that I'm enlarging my comfort zone and taking myself and my business seriously.

2012 - Make It Your Best Year Yet!

What will the new year bring you?

I wish for you...
Health.
Vitality.
Joy.
Peace.
Loving connection.
Gratitude, appreciation and thanksgiving.
A sense of your place in the world, and what you are here to do.

Personal Highlights of 2011

• Began my journey with The Coaching Institute, a decision that has changed my life.
• Registered my coaching practice, AGNOSCO TRAINING AND COACHING
• Deepened my relationship with my daughters esp my perceptive, highly sensitive and temperamental 9 yo.
• Discovered that I can connect deeply, authentically and naturally with anyone, including strangers, just by being curious, compassionate and acting as if.
• Coached my 9 yo through her first major transition: leaving Heathdale. She went from hysterics and meltdown to being neutral, then embracing the idea, then getting excited and taking ownership by informing her classmates.
• Discovered my ability to uplift lives and help people reconnect with themselves through transformational coaching.
• Regained the confidence to drive safely on my own at night.
• Developed a vision for working with motivated parents of primary school aged parents in 2012 and shared it passionately with people I met. Discovered to my amazement that as I shared it, the vision took on a life of its own and grew in richness and magnitude. 
• Secured my first paid coaching client after Intake weekend. 
• Added Certified NLP Practitioner to my skillset. An especially significant milestone considering I once thought NLP radical and possibly cultish.
• Rejoined the workforce by taking on Admin Assistant role at my church.
• Said yes to opportunity to serve on church council as Secretary.
• Signed up to my first ever dance class for a whole term, where I danced alongside adults who are so much better at it and teens who have no problem doing mid-air splits and spinning across the room.
• Discovered the wonderful worlds of Deltora Quest, Ga'Hoole, 39 Clues and Barbie videos, thanks to my girls. To think I grew up hating Barbie (dolls)...

So much is happening that updating the blog has fallen off my radar.

This week, we have overseas friends visiting and staying with us. They are the first of three groups who will be using HX as their base while here on holiday.

Having someone else interact with the girls is awesome because it brings out a different side of their personalities, gets them used to playing host and caring for others, and of course it gives me a chance to do my own stuff.

Sunday highlight - the drummer and I were the only musos, and I had to step up and own my situation 100%, not hide behind the lead guitarist like I normally do. Those moments when I felt truly in the zone, like the Holy Spirit was making the music flow through my fingers was ... just ... humbling. And joyful.

Another highlight - Beth taking her Yamaha Grade 10 exam and getting mostly As and one B+ (for accompaniment/improvisation). Was surprised she played as well as she did, considering how little she practises. Commented to hubby that maybe Beth is one of those who performs best under pressure.

On 13 Nov, Miss B discovered a simple truth...

That she is a good speller.

But not that good.

She went head to head with 19 others in the Junior Division of Spellmasters 2011.

She got knocked out at "drunkenness", forgetting the double "n". That left 7 standing. I was hoping she'd at least make it to the top 3.

In the Seniors, she was up against 22 other super spellers. She made a premature exit at Word #2: "pious". She spelled it as "pias"!!

I couldn't believe it. Surely she must KNOW that word after all the books she's devoured?

Hubby's question: "When have you ever seen a word that ends with "ias"??"

I straightaway thought "bias", but I can't think of any other words of that ilk.

As we analyzed it afterwards, she would have sailed through if she had only ASKED the judge the meaning of the word. It was one of those cases where the speller knows the word but isn't 100% sure, and knowing the meaning and context would have resolved the uncertainty instantly.

Miss B has resolved to do better next year.

I gently suggested that it might be a good idea to actually READ the dictionaries she has accumulated (and start memorizing the spellings of words) instead of only referring to them by the by.

The learning and character building continues.

Spellmasters Round 6 (18 Sep 2011)

Spellmasters Round 7 @ Ashburton Library (30 Oct 2011)